Monday Afternoon News, March 11th

(Le Mars) — Bishop Walker Nickless of the Sioux City Diocese paid a visit to Gehlen Catholic school Monday morning to answer questions of sixth graders. The bishop was invited by Gehlen Catholic’s religion teacher Kyle Marugg. The group of sixth graders asked Bishop Nickless questions about his upbringing, as well as life as a bishop.

Nickless also met with Gehlen Catholic fifth grade boys during their “Man Cave” period. He says its important for boys at that age to begin to understand what is expected of a man, and what men should do.

(Le Mars) — A little more than a week has past since the Sioux City Diocese had announced publicly the names of 33 priests that were involved with various sex abuse scandals. KLEM news asked Bishop Walker Nickless during his visit to Le Mars on Monday about the public’s reaction since that announcement.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines medical school has bought land in West Des Moines and intends to move to the suburban site.
Des Moines University announced Monday in a news release that it planned to move the campus to a 90-acre site on the southern edge of West Des Moines.
The private university has been at its current 24-acre site, in a
largely residential area just west of downtown, since 1972. The school didn’t provide a timeline for the move.
The university has recently been in a dispute with neighbors over plans to add parking spaces and a generator.

Ottumwa Construction Company Fined For Employee Death

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa safety regulator is blaming a company for not adequately training a worker who was killed in a Marshalltown construction accident.
The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing to fine Bridge City Construction, of Ottumwa, nearly $3,900. The Marshalltown Times-Republican reports that 37-year-old Bridge City employee Chris Ehrenhard, died in a December accident at the Marshalltown construction
project.
The agency says the way Ehrenhard was operating an aerial lift pinned him against a beam and controls of the aerial lift, causing fatal injuries.
The agency says Bridge City did not provide effective training to employees regarding hazards that were associated with the job site, such as ground conditions and overhead hazards.
Bridge City Construction owner Jason Blunt has declined to comment about the proposed fine. It’s unclear whether he will fight the penalty.
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Iowa Unemployment Rate Holds Steady

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent in January, leaving the state tied for the lowest jobless rate in the country.
Iowa Workforce Development announced Monday that the rate was unchanged even as the numbered of unemployed people rose slightly to 40,600. The number of working Iowans also increased to 1.654 million in January.
Iowa’s unemployment rate compares to 2.8 percent in January 2018.
The rate leaves Iowa tied with New Hampshire for the lowest percentage of unemployed, just ahead of North Dakota and Vermont.
The national unemployment rate in January was 4 percent.

Coal Train De-rails Near Mississippi River

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say coal spilled from rail cars that derailed near Victory Park along the Mississippi River in Keokuk.
A jumbled mess of more than a dozen coal cars and disconnected wheelsets blocked vehicular traffic near the tracks after the derailment.
The accident occurred around 2 a.m. Monday under the Main Street/U.S. Highway 136 bridge between Keokuk and Hamilton, Illinois.
No injuries have been reported. The cause is being investigated.
BNSF Railway spokesman Andy Williams says four of the 13 loaded coal cars that derailed rolled onto their sides, spilling their loads, but the coal didn’t reach the river.
Williams says repair crews expect to have the line back open by 9 p.m. Monday.

Barn Fire Results In The Death Of Pigs And Sheep

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – About 20 pigs and sheep died after a barn caught fire in Iowa but no one was hurt.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the fire was reported shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday on a farm near Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Firefighters had to haul in water to fight the blaze. Fire Chief John Bostwick says the barn was a total loss and the animals inside died.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. No one was injured in the fire.

Caretaker Charged With Sexual Abuse

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A 63-year-old care program supervisor has been accused of sexually abusing a client in Davenport.
Scott County court records say Bruce Enger is charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.
The records say the alleged victim has been a client of REM Iowa for six years. REM Iowa serves adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Enger’s responsibilities including supervising the residence in which the alleged victim lived.

Legislators Try To Revive Livestock Protection Bill

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Just two months after a federal court judge struck down Iowa’s existing law meant to discourage investigations of animal abuse on farms, lawmakers are pushing another so-called ag-gag measure that opponents say would likely land them in court again.
The new bill creates a trespass charge for anyone using deception to gain access to a farm to cause physical or economic harm. It carries a penalty of up to a year in jail.
Sen. Ken Rozenboom, the Republican who will manage Senate floor debate, says it is more narrowly focused than the 2012 law struck down by the court in January and was crafted after other state laws that have survived court challenges.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, which sued over the 2012 law, says the bill under consideration also is unconstitutional and the group is prepared to challenge it in court.
Court documents show plaintiff legal fees in the previous lawsuit
exceed $200,000, but the state has appealed to the federal appeals court so costs continue to mount
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Man Already Charged With Arson, Now Charged With Attempted Murder

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) – A man already accused of setting a fire that injured two people at his eastern Iowa home has been charged with attempted murder.
Buchanan County court records say charges of arson and third offense domestic assault also have been filed against 44-year-old Shane Heins. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him. Heins’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 25.
Investigators say Heins set the fire March 2 in Independence in an effort to kill his wife, Christina Heins, and her uncle, Nick Necker. Both were taken for treatment to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City.
A witness reported seeing Shane Heins throwing items and furniture around the home and pouring gasoline around the wooden steps between the house and garage.